On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss a potential breakthrough in the government shutdown, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's freewheeling interview with New York magazine, and the Supreme Court's latest campaign finance case.

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Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week's show:

A Gallup poll this week found the Republican Party's approval rating at an all-time low.

President Obama said Tuesday he would be open to a short-term deal to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling.

Justice Scalia's interview with New York covered everything from his favorite TV shows to his judicial philosophy.

Scalia is winning an informal competition among the justices to see who gets the most laughs during oral argument, the New York Timesreports.

John chatters about a photo project chronicling the bedrooms of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

David chatters about the songs Woody Guthrie wrote for a 1940s public health service VD education program.

Topic ideas for next week? You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)